Regulator for draft-vehicles.



G. W. BULLEY.

REGULATOR FOR DRAFT VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I8. 19H

Patented May 28, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. w. BULLEY.

REGULATOR FOR DRAFT VEHlCLES.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJB. x915.

1,267,72. Patented May 28,1918;

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2".

G. W. BULLEY.

REGULATOR FOR DRAFY VEHICLES. APPLICATXON mag AUGHB, 1915.

mmmz.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented May 28, 1918.

"i -Ell PATH GEORGE V]. BULLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MERCURY MANUFACTURING CQTz IPANY, OE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORA'JIQN OF ILLINOIS.

REGULATOR FOE. DRAFT-VEHICLES.

Application filed August 18, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Gronor. ll". Bonner, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois,

have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Regulators for Draft-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in vehicles, and more particularly to improvements in regulators for vehicles.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved regulator or governor which is responsive to the load drawn or propelled by the vehicle and for controlling the action or eifect of the vehicle on said load.

Other objects of my invention will appear hereinafter.

My invention consists in the features of novelty exemplified in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, shown in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out -35 in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings Figure l is a top plan view of the frame and running gear of a vehicle, the body hel ing removed, embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in ritudinal sect-ion substantially through the center of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section, substantially on line3-3 of Fig. 1, of my improved drawbar used in this, construction;

Fig. at is an enlarged detail section on the line 4l of Fig. 2, showing the connection of the mechanism with the vehicle controller;

'Fig. 5 is a section of an adjustable dash- .m pot used in my improved construction; and

ig. 6 is a view illustrating my invention as applied to the direct actuation of a controller for governing the motor of the vehicle.

In the drawings, I have illustrated my invention as embodied in a type of draft vehicle or tractor which is designed to carry no load other than its own parts and driving mechanism, but instead is intended to 50 draw or propel either single or entrained load-carrying vehicles. The tractor is connected to the load-carrying vehicle through "the medium of a draw-bar and regulating Specification of Letters Patent.

yatcnted May 28, 1918.

Serial No. sense.-

from the disclosures herein made, that my invention is capable of embodiment in other or modified structures without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I wish it to be so understood.

In the present instance, the load is connected to the rear end of the tractor, and hence the vehicle or tractor acts in the capacity of a locomotive to pull or draw the load behind it. The vehicle shown is of the electric tractor type. The frame A is supported by two rear wheels B and two forward wheels B, the forward wheels being arranged in any suitable or approved manner for steering purposes. In this construction, driving power for the vehicle is applied to the rear wheels by means of an electric motor C and differential mechanism D on the rear axle, which may be of any suitable or approved type and need not be further described. The motor drives the differential mechanism through the medium of a shaft E, as clearly shown in the drawings. The motor in this case is mounted in any desirable manner on the frame A Well to ward the forward end thereof. Since this vehicle serves as a draft vehicle, and is, therefore, not intended to carry any load except its own mechanism, the frame may be provided with any suitable superstructure F which may inclose a battery or any other suitable or approved means for providing electric current for the motor C. At its forward portion, this super-structure may have a suitable seat G for the operator and a controller H for the motor. This controller is preferably positioned beneath the seat so that its operating handle or lever J may be positioned conveniently for the operator. The controller may be of any suitable or approved type, such as is generally used in vehicles of this character. These controllers, as is Well known, operate to govern the current through the motor, but this is, of course, standard construction and needs no particular description. The controller arm is carried on the end of a shaft K which actuates the controller, and this controller arm occulul) J by the wheels of the vehit'le.

In the particular hlllllllll'l htm'n, am hefore mentioned, l have so arranged the mechanism that. the vehicle operates to pnl, 'zither than to pnsln :1 war or train of .r 21ml for this rmmm it is without-ell if) the loud through th lllttlltlllt of 11 rear entl (l 'znvhair t'onnet-tien ll positioned at the rem entl of the vehicle trzthie. This particular YtlliClt} is especially tttlttlllttl tor haunting -ireig'ht :llltl inert'lmiitlise about warehouse floors. tlOt'liS. nhnrwie, freight platforms and the like, the loud or llltfl'tllttlltllrlt being (Iiil'lGtl in suitable rurs or trucks whit-h are mnneetetl to the tll'tt\\'-l)tll l1 ol the trurt r. ln places el thig ehi i'mrter, it \er tlliflrilf" able and in fact tluns 'erous to run the tree tors or trains at too great :1 speed. lit, tin-i. it tlesiruhle that the tractor he operntml at it substantially uniform speetl, whether it is running alone or with :1 loml. tJtitlllt 'lta thereto, l /lien the trzreter is running; or with a light loatl connected to it, the evernet up the w.

utor is often inclined to to a point beyond a gate tillll. le hing speed. it is )WQOSQ or 111"! inven- 1 Lion, th ere to pro ide inetflmnism h which the speed of the tractor, whether it is running ea or pulling 22 load, will he auto nuiticelly regulated or controlled. in

presentstrueture the nieehanisni which eontrols he speetl. of the meehuni:-:m in note-- matte-ally reenonsit'e to the lOiltl which the vehicle @repeis.

this particular eonstrnetiom the draw- ):11 mechanism L is mechanically inter-eoniectetl with the controller so as to control he various positions to which the operator nay manually throw the Controller le e T.

will be iintlerstooth howeaer, that nt1inn contemplates the Control of the .3 )l' the vehiele by the Whether the e mi mechanism accomplishes this by ineehtmimlly or electrically governing manual operation 1 the con'uroller or by directly or imllreetly net-Letting; the eontreller. At the central rear portion of the 1 nine, 1 previd it llshhped drew-her l, the legs or parallel portions :2 of which are longitmlliinlly litluhle or movable Suitable hearings I3 l mlllL l i i :i rsiiituhle bracket or i member 5 carried hr the frame. :intl the bowl of \Ylllt'll extends reurwnrrll i in convenient position for connection with the wars or load to he tlz': m1. it, its inner einl the legs of this tli:tw-l:u' :tre eonneetetl Ly :1 cross bar tllltl between this CtHSS lttll' one. the roe. Sl'C ol" the l)t;1 l{ *t :3 whit'h curries the hear ngs ('ttllt'tl -r vwirel tl r pri' l interpose it whit-h iehlitglx the rim-v.- TItlttl h the leml upon the limit;

This spring, of rourseis sniiieiently power- [ill to withstand the niaximiun lontl, hut the compressive resist-mm of the spring varies $5 the pull on the drew-bur varies, and of (jiitilb'ti the lengitig'nel movement of the tll'tlW-l itt new varies. This variable movement; of tile tti-mx lmr in response to varying lOtttlS is communicated to a long linl: ol'Otl it) through the metlitnn of a lever 11.

l is connected to the movable tll'zt\\'-llitl Ittttl t molly h 1t Mort link 12 to the entl of the tUtl W. The lever pivoted to the frame at, 13 in any stiihhle llltUtllQl' so that as the t l l I he rotates EilFO reel; mes the meniher It; in :1 three lion Mllwhurtinlly per mnliruhu to that off the ret'iproenl her or rotl U). the forwzirtl einl ot the h: 10 rurries an interlocking:

iiiemher 3U having :1 pl ttilllt ot' interlockii reps or filltlllltltl'rj 21 :u'inngml to he int ulhiti in the path of inorenwnt ()l' the lower end l5 ol' the int-mlmr ltl. Fig". l. ttlltl to limit the degree of movement of the member it :tCCUl'tfilllg to the particular interleukin step 21 interposed in its path by the t .ent of he tt)ti t l. it. will he ohviotte .iX-ll ll' when zittttzrtetl to it great? the pull of the lonrl 21tole movement to to the meinher ltt correspowleontroiler arm or lever 1m: he thrown or shifted, nnrl, will he observed, these parts are so a ranged that the greater the loml on the the. wha

i threw will he allowed to 1 thus the operator Wil the (trait-her mechanism to throw :onturoller Zti'lll to that position Whit-h the on. the tllhtYlkli )i'tllttlllllltz$- and h proportioning the movement of the con:

lontl lrh .n hy the rehicle. we led at its upper end 0 arm (it this lever. as shown clearly in r any degree, the return movement of the interlockinp men'iber 20 will not damage the member 16. It sometimes happens that under certain conditions an abnormal pull will be given to the draw-bar and thus enable the operator to throw the controller farther than the position to which it should be shifted or movedunder normal conditions. lhis is particularly the case Where the tractor is standing on a downward grade with a train of cars or other load connected to it. and it is started up from a dead stop. The tractor, assisted by the gravity, due to the grade, will start ahead and before the inertia of the load is overcome the draw-bar will be abnormally pulled. This abnormal movement, of course, permits undue freedom of movement to the controller handle and before the draw-bar mechanism recovers itself" the operator may have thrown the controller farther than the proper position thereof corresponding to the particular condition. In order to provide for. such abnormal condition, I arrange the rod 10 so that it will be dead heat with respect to the draw-har niechanism that is to say,- it will not quickly respond to the sudden jerks or pulls upon said draw-bar mechanism. This I accomplish by means of a suitable dash-pot 25 mounted upon the frame of the vehicle and connected to the rod 10 by means of :1 bell crank lever 26. as shown clearly in Figs. 4 and 5. This dash-potservcs to render the reciprocal rod lti'slow-acting with respect to the draw-bar mechanism and will allow the draw-bar mechanism to act abnormally and recover itselt before the abnormal operation etlccts the rod 10. In order to allow for this relative movement between the draw bar mechanism and the lever ll. 1 connect the m1; of the lever ll with the draw-bar through the medium of a yielding connec lion. such as 3). This spring operates to yieldingly hold "the rounded end of the lever ll against the rear face '38 ot' the draw-bar cross-member 4. This spring may be fastened at its ends to upstanding posts 29 and 3 on'the cross bar 4 and the end of the lever. respectively. The dash-pot 25 may be of any suitable type for the purpose, but in tl'e present construction I have shown a dash-pot, of lhe oil type and having two chambers. the chamber 25 of which is a reservoirchandler and the chamber 25 of which is a piston chamber in which the piston 25 operates. The. piston is carried by a piston rod :25 which is pivolally connected at, its upper end by means ol' the link 23 lo thebell cranltl ver ill. l arrange this dash-pot so that it will be adjustable to regulate its eliecl upon the controllm governing unschanism. The chambers 25 and L5 communicate at lhei r upper ends through a large port 25 and through a small port 25" at their lower ends.

a spring 27 (sco- Figs. 1. 2 and 1 This lower port is controlled by a valve 25" so that the flow of oil to and from the piston chamber 25 may be regulated as desiredl In Fig. 6,1 have illustratedan arrangement in which the draw-bar inechanism, instead of governing the manual operation ol the controller, is arranged to itself directly actuate the controller. As clearly shown in Fig. 6, the forward end of the rod 10 is connected by a link 40 to thcshort end or arm ll of a controller switch arm L. This witch arm is pivoted at 42 so that the longitudinal movement of the link 10 is adapted to rotate the switch arni L about its pivot. and move the end of its longer arm 43 over the controller contacts all so as to vary the resistance in the motor circuit to govern the speed of the motor. The controller which I have illustrated in Fig. 6 is intended merely as representative of any suitable or approved type of controller which may be used for governing the s )eed of the motor and to which the draw-bar mechanism may be connected so that it will directly actuate the con roller. In this arrangement the conductor 44 leads from a source otcurrent to the contact ot'a switch 45 which is connected by the conductor 46 to one end of the resistance M of the controller. The other conductor all leads from the source of current to the motor I\',-a.hd from thence to the switch 0] controller arm L. Thus it willbc obvious that the forward longitudinal movement of the linked end operates the switch arm L to cut. resistance out the circuit and compensate tor the load on the draw-bar. the resistance in the circuit being thus automaticallyvaricd inaccor .lance with the load on said circuit. The switch 45 may be located for convenient access to theoperator. The

operator need only close or open the circuit to the motor and controller and the speed of the motor will. of course, be governed automatically by the pull on the draw bar (onn'cction.

ll hat I claim. as my invention is:

1. The combination ot' a draft vehicle. a draft memberadapted for connection with the load to be drawn, a controller for said vehicle having a range of operation by which the speed of the vehicle is determined, and means actuated by said draft member in response to the pull thereon for governing the operation of said controller within said range. 0

The combination of a power driven d raft vehicle. a manually operated controller therefor-Q and a draw bar adapted for connection with the load to be drawn for regulating the manual operation of said controller.

The combination of a power driven draft vehicle, a controller for governing the speed of said vehicle, a lock for the. controllcr, and a draw bar to which theload -is n l M ew,

commit-led for :icinatinglilie look to release will coi'itrollcr in responsclo 11 load on the 1 W-ber. v

I. The combination a power driven llllft vehicle, :1 draft member (:illllCfl by soil \"e'lll lf. to which the loml to lie (lTITWH connected, a controller for the vehicle and illlzlll interconnecting said draft nienilicr uinl said conl'i'ollei for rendering llie conli'ollei' responsive to the pull; o'l llie load upon the draft member.

The combination of d nioloc-(li'iven lozulqn-opelling vehicle, a member carried by will vehicle to which the loud i:= adapted lo lll connected, :1 controller "f()1"$-lll(l vehicle. :in l illtl'llifllllSlll interconneetizig sziicl lozii'l IHNHlMl' zin l $21ll'l conli'oller lo "ITCHl'lQY ilie (illlliilllfll of (he controller dependent npon ilie lorel Yilllll. at will n en beia l3. 'llae comljiiniilion of :1 IllUlUP-(lI'lYLl! loud-propelling vehicle. a member Clll'l'llll li will vehicle to \YlllCll the loud adapted to be connected. :1 controller 'loi said vehicle. lllLCllflfllSlfl interconnecting mill loml meniliei zinil Slllll controller lo render the openilion ol' the (-onli'olle (lepemlenl; upon the lozul nilne ill will niembe lino nienns for rendering mill l'lllClllllllHlll iiiesponsii'e lo :iln'ioi'nml i'zii'ililions of load value illmid niein 'ier.

T. The winil inelion ol a draft Vehicle ll nninnnlly opei'lilile, eonliwiillei' il or Said iliielc. mill :in :nilonnitie (lmn' liar ullziptecl :l'or connection will; the loiul and conneclell \\'llll -will eonli'ollei' for ilelei'inining l'lie posilion lo \Yllllll Sillll conl'i'oller coin be ()1)(l'illlll according lo llic variations of: ille- 10ml.

5. The combination of a power propelled vehicle, ll conli-ollei- Jl'oi' Sfllel vehicle having ll preilelei'inineil range of operation, a second vehicle :1 yielding llciiw'lozn connection laclwecn the two vehicles, uncle graduated lock l'or said ('(lllll'l'lllll ac-z'lnzllcil by said, alum our in accordance llll llie pull. of ill second vehicle or (lelerniining the ex" 1 opec} alion of EEllLl conlyoller Within its "ange.

9. The colnliinatio, vcincie and a vehicle having a for governing the opeizilion of said vehicle,

ll. 'l'lie ('(lllllilllzllilm of a moloi' ii-og'ielleil l-i'ueloi having :1 controller 'l'or regulating the operation ol SzlHl li'zicloi, n iel lzili e ili'nn' buy on -'Ill(l ll'zicloi' to \iliieli llie loznl ls eonneelell. u Fliil'lzible lnii' ((llllltflltll \i'iili will ('onli'ollei' and drew liar and iieiniil'eil l will lll'llW lmi' to i'egnlnl'e llle operation oi. the controller in accordance Willi tlie lllll'l l ol the loud on lllO draw lllll. mil :1 yielding connection between llie bill and (llllW bill.

1'2. The ('(llllllllllll ion of a lllOlUl' proiil'llell vehicle liming e. controller for governing ll? opei'zitioin El nnn'nlile slolleil, ineniliei' e n: necleil with said conli'olleiz a movable lliie bar carciccl by Sl'ilil Yeliicle, coring mechanism resisting; llie pull of sni'el draw bin, li sliillziblo 'lOfl conneclecl lo and moved ll Sillil lll'ilW bar, and means on said ioll cooperating Willi the slot in cuicl member "for limiting llie movement of the conli'ollei to ('(ll'l'LSllOllll lo the degree of poll on llie draw bar.

Signed by me at @liicego, Ellinois, this 26th (lay July, 1915.

GES'HGE said lTflPl'Ul. a yiclllnlilol ti'lieloi lo which the loim' 

